Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Dear Heavenly Father,

Many of our retreat attendees and some of our volunteers are singles. Some are widows who have lost their life companion and others have never married. We pray they will find special friendships and community while at the retreat. Please provide special friendships for them where they faithfully serve You.

Our single friends have taught us much about loving You and following You where You lead them. You know the joys and burdens of their singleness and the questions they wrestle with and the answers they’ve found that have been helpful. Please build their trust in You and help their identity as Your beloved daughters to be firm unshakeable. If any of them are unsure of their worth as a single, please assure them of Your delight in them and that they really are enough just as they are.

When it is time for our single attendees to return to their place of service, please help their teams and the people they serve to warmly welcome them to their homes and into their circle of friendships.

a)The Malay majority are Muslim with a handful of Christians, none daring to publicly make his or her faith known. There is little reason for people to change their spiritual status quo; pray for the Spirit to move in the hearts of Malays.

b)The Chinese lack security and are still regarded as foreigners, even if born in Brunei. Most still follow the traditional religions of China or are secular. Less than 20% are Christian and, of those, many do not pursue the Christian life. Chinese Christian businessmen from Brunei and from abroad have significant potential to impact Brunei economically and spiritually.

About the author

Linda Swanson serves with Paraclete as a member care provider, retreat speaker and spiritual director. She comes alongside global workers to help them be effective in life and ministry. Via Skype, Linda provides spiritual direction for global workers. With her husband, Kevin, Linda served for 28 years with MAF, both overseas as a pilot/mechanic family and at headquarters in administration and member care. During eight of those years, she helped direct Fairhaven Ministries, a retreat center for clergy and global workers. Now, Linda lives in Englewood, New Jersey where her husband is a pastor with the Evangelical Covenant Church. Their two children are married and they have two grandsons.